Editor’s Note: This week, Monitor reporters explain the process behind some of their most impactful reporting of the year.
Earlier this year, while working on a story looking at cancer care deserts in the state, I found myself interviewing Angela Fochesato, the director of the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center in Ellsworth. Fochesato mentioned working with cancer survivors who had difficulty getting to and from their medical appointments — some lacked reliable transportation or were too sick to drive themselves, leaving them to rely on friends and family to bring them back and forth.
Fochesato said the problem was particularly difficult for patients insured by MaineCare, the state’s version of Medicaid, who lived in areas served by Modivcare, a transportation broker contracted by the state to arrange rides for MaineCare patients.
She mentioned that she’d had cancer patients who needed rides to appointments, treatments and surgeries but were denied rides or never picked up.
Modivcare is contracted by the state to provide rides in Aroostook, Hancock, Washington, Androscoggin, Franklin, Cumberland, Oxford and York counties. The company, valued at over $300 million, is the largest non-emergency medical transportation broker in the nation, operating in 20 states, including in Maine.
The company, which operates under a $5.6 million contract, was approved last year to service every county in the state.
The contract, which was supposed to begin in July and is estimated to be worth up to $750 million over the next decade, hasn’t been finalized due to the competing companies challenging the state’s decision in court, claiming the award process was flawed and unfair.
I read through hundreds of pages of state contracts for these services, which showed that transportation providers are required to provide valid reasons for any denied trip included in a denial letter.
I began looking for those who rode with Modivcare in Maine to better understand their experiences.
Sorting through reviews on social media and other websites, I met several patients who claimed they had been denied multiple rides to appointments.
One woman, Delores ‘Deedee’ Garcia, said her driver was driving recklessly and she felt her life was in danger. Shaking, she showed me photos from the incident and explained how she called the company to ask for another driver because she was scared to ride back.
I read through her text messages to Modivcare representatives and photos she took during the ride. I also looked into the company that was subcontracted to provide the ride, which showed that it was labeled as ‘not in good standing’ in New Hampshire, where it had initially been registered.
I met with another woman who told me that, out of the five rides she requested in the past six months, she’d only made it to one appointment through Modivcare, and that she had received little communication about her denied rides from the company.
Finally, I had a lengthy conversation with a company representative, who said their drivers were on time roughly 94 percent of the time, that fewer than 1 percent of scheduled rides are denied and that denials are “tracked meticulously.”
This story isn’t over. The competing transportation companies are fighting the award of the state contract to Modivcare in court. We’ll be following this story to see where it leads.
